fbpixel

Shoulder Pain Causes And Natural Treatments

Table of Contents

What is shoulder pain?

Shoulder pain can make a simple routine action aook like a monumental task. As you age, you are more likely to undergo shoulder pain from an assortment of common conditions. Shoulder problems are extremely common and the pain may come on gradually or suddenly, and it can vary from mild to excruciating.

The shoulder has a wide and flexible range of motion. When something goes wrong with your shoulder, it hampers your ability to move freely and can cause a whole lot of discomfort and pain. The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint which has three main bones: the humerus (long arm bone), the clavicle (collarbone), and the scapula (also called the shoulder blade). These bones are cushioned by a layer of cartilage. There are two chief joints. The acromioclavicular joint is between the maximum aspect of the scapula and the clavicle.

The Glenohumeral joint consists of the upper, ball-shaped region of the humerus bone and the outer border of the scapula. This joint is also referred to as the shoulder joint. This shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body. It moves forward and backward. Additionally, it allows the arm to move in a circular motion and to move up and away from the body.

Shoulders get their assortment of movement from the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is composed of four tendons. Tendons are the tissues that connect muscles to bone. It might be painful or difficult to lift your arm over your head if the joints or bones around the rotator cuff are damaged or swollen. You can Injure your shoulder by doing physical activity, playing sports, or perhaps by repetitive motion. Certain diseases can lead to pain that travels into the shoulder. These include diseases of the cervical spine (neck), in addition to liver, heart, or gallbladder disease.

You’re more likely to have problems with your shoulder as you grow older as the soft tissues surrounding the shoulder tend to degenerate with age. In many cases, it is possible to treat shoulder pain in the home. But, physical therapy, drugs, or surgery may also be necessary.

What causes shoulder pain?

Several factors and conditions can lead to shoulder pain. The most common cause is rotator cuff tendinitis. This is a condition characterized by swollen tendons. Another common cause of shoulder pain is impingement syndrome in which the rotator cuff becomes trapped between the acromium (part of the scapula that covers the ball) and humeral head (the ball part of the humerus).

Sometimes shoulder pain is caused by injury to a different location within your body, usually the neck or biceps. This is called referred pain. Referred pain generally does not get worse when you move your shoulder.

Other causes of shoulder pain include:

arthritis

torn cartilage

torn rotator cuff

swollen bursa sacs or joints

bone spurs (bony projections which develop along the edges of bones)

pinched nerve from the neck or shoulder

broken shoulder or arm bone

frozen shoulder

dislocated shoulder

injury due to overuse or repetitive use

spinal cord injury

heart attack

Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder)

Despite being a comparatively popular health issue, little is known about why some folks develop adhesive capsulitis. What we do know for certain is that it may develop after an impingement injury or tear, and appears to be due to a thickening of the muscles inside the shoulder joint. It creates a type of tightness that contributes to long term throbbing pain with any movement and is more prevalent in women and men aged over 40. Often these individuals also have high cholesterol, thyroid issues, and diabetic problems.

The term ‘frozen shoulder’ is very appropriate because whenever the condition reaches its summit shoulder motion could be close to impossible. While the condition can be very debilitating and there may be some achievement found via corticosteroid injections, anti inflammatory drugs (non-steroid), and even surgery the condition tends to vanish after 3/4 decades anyway. Many individuals realize that physiotherapy and muscle stimulation can help them through episodes of shoulder without having to undergo invasive surgery.

Calcific Tendinitis

This is another condition still not entirely understood. In cases like this, the shoulder joints become extremely stiff as a result of excess calcium deposits — maybe delivered by the body in a failed effort to aid with the healing procedure. Most people who suffer this illness experience the worst pain when they awake in the morning, with all the pain gradually reducing after the shoulder has been exercised.

For this reason, physical therapy is often the best method of addressing the issue alongside anti-inflammatories and even stem cell treatments. In extreme cases surgery may be used to manually remove the calcium, but we urge stem cell therapy.

Osteoarthritis

Despite osteoarthritis most commonly afflicting knees and hips, sometimes it can appear in shoulder joints. The cartilage between the bones slowly erodes and causes the bones to rub together. Despite being a relatively severe form of arthritis that might cause long term distress there are a number of treatment and management choices.

Therapy options for shoulder pain

As the intensity of the pain may vary (sometimes by weeks or even months) medicating for osteoarthritis can be hard. Most patients diagnosed with the illness will begin on lower intensity general painkillers and’workout’ to more powerful, script-only, choices should the condition radically worsen. The very best way of treating osteoarthritis in the shoulder over the long term is to safeguard and strengthen the muscles and tendons as far as possible through regular/suitable exercise and physiotherapy. Stem cell therapy is a far better alternative to surgery that may help relieve the pain.

Light shoulder injuries such as strains and even mild tears should generally heal without the need for any specialist treatment. Yet recovery can be substantially quicker — and similar harms far less likely to recur — if the shoulder is kept moving and doing some routine light exercise. More severe conditions such as those listed above can be medically treated, but doing this effectively may take some time and be a frustrating procedure.

Anyone suffering from persistent shoulder pain should think about their therapy as comprising three complementary components.

– First, make use of medical experience by following scheduled exercise programs and adhering to the recommended drugs.

– Second, if the matter is long term and degenerative it’s crucial to undertake physical therapy treatments — a superior physiotherapist won’t only perform remedies but also structure a restoration strategy to follow along at home.

– Third, consider how cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness techniques can help deal with the pain.

When combined together there’s absolutely not any reason why even the most acute shoulder pain can’t be efficiently managed even if a complete recovery is just a distant possibility.

Natural treatments for shoulder pain

When you’re feeling mild and tolerable discomfort, you may get the next home remedy for shoulder pain more than handy. Seek professional medical help once the pain is excruciating or persistent.

1. Ayurveda or Herbal Remedy

Herbal cure is highly successful in relieving shoulder discomfort. One of the herbs which work best is mint. Freshly crushed mint leaves are famous for their anti-inflammatory properties which alleviate swelling and pain. For faster and increased healing impact, consider drinking freshly brewed mint tea.

Green tea also works well from the treatment of rigid shoulder muscles. Rosemary and thyme are also famous for their antispasmodic and anti inflammatory properties. You can either combine these herbs on your food or drink them .

Another popular herbal remedy for shoulder discomfort is garlic paste. Throw in cloves of peeled garlic in the blender, then blended with olive oil. As an alternative, you can boil it with coconut oil until it turns soft enough to mash into glue. As soon as you’ve the end product, you may apply garlic paste onto affected area.

2. Aromatherapy

Consider using natural oils to alleviate the distress of your shoulder. Massaging natural oils on the sore areas is proven to provide fast and soothing relief. One of the more popular oils include chamomile and lavender. Chamomile is known for its anti-inflammatory properties while chamomile is known to relax the rigid muscles and reduce inflammation also. Marjoram is still another essential oil that can help alleviate muscle spasms and enhance blood circulation. Sage, tea tree oil, and basil are one of the other essential oils that are known to cure sore shoulders.

3. Hot and Cold Compress

One of the most popular and age-old practices in relieving shoulder discomfort is using hot and cold compress on the affected area. To do so think about using an ice bag, a cold pack, or even a bag of frozen vegetables for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Do this for at least a few hours at the first 2-3 days of undergoing shoulder pain. Cold compress helps decrease inflammation and discomfort. After 2 to 3 times, once the inflammation has subsided, use a hot pack or a heating pad to relax sore and stiff muscles. Alternately, a hot bath relaxes sore shoulders just also.

4. Take over-the-counter (OTC) medicine

OTC drugs, which can be obtained at a local grocery store or drug store without a prescription, may ease some forms of shoulder blade pain. Some of these medications work to decrease inflammation, such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox DS, Naprosyn). Other OTC drugs, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), may work by preventing or changing pain signals in the brain. OTC drugs still have risks although no prescription is necessary. Make certain to read and follow the instructions on the label.

5. Massage therapy

The pain below your shoulder blade might feel like a tight knot because of a muscle spasm. A massage will help loosen your muscles and get more blood into the affected area. Seek a willing friend or relative –or a specialist –to massage the painful area, which can release tension and bring about relief. Some techniques for self-massage of the shoulder blade comprise using a foam roller or racquetball. (A tennis ball or lacrosse ball is going to do the job also.) These kinds of massage can be done by placing the foam roller or ball between the trunk and a wall, then gently rolling side to side or up and down.

6. Rest

Rest is important. Give your body time to heal by resting your shoulder. Do not lift heavy objects or perform any physical activity that could pressure further Your muscles and increase the pain in your shoulders. Give your shoulders 2-3 days break before you begin on any more action on it.

Schedule a free 15 minute consultation call

Subscribe To Our Blog!

NOURISHDOC
THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBING

Have a Question?